Ninth-Inning Rally Gives Bears 6-4 Win Over The Citadel

Columbia, SC -
Down 3-2 with two outs in the top of the ninth, the Brown baseball team (5-9) got four runs to come back and defeat The Citadel (16-8), 6-4, on Tuesday night. After junior left fielder Ryan Murphy (Mantoloking, NJ) tied the game with an RBI single, sophomore center fielder Steve Daniels (Fox Point, WI) cleared the bases, bringing in three runs on a triple to right center. The Bulldogs were able to get one run back in the bottom of the ninth, but the Bears held on for their fourth win in five games.

Junior first baseman Jeff Dietz (Atlamonte Springs, FL) started the inning with a long fly ball that was caught on the warning track. Sophomore shortstop Matt Nuzzo (Everett, MA) and senior second baseman Bryan Tews (Park Ridge, IL) hit back-to-back singles, then sophomore right fielder Dan Shapiro (Basking Ridge, NJ) walked to load the bases. Sophomore third baseman Robert Papenhause (Hillsborough, CA) was able to work a 10-pitch at-bat, but went down swinging for the second out. Murphy followed with a single to left, which brought freshman Chris Tanabe (Jupiter, FL), who had pinch-run for Nuzzo, home with the tying run. Daniels came next, getting the Bears the lead on the 12th pitch of his at-bat before the inning ended after the next batter.

Junior Rob Hallberg (River Edge, NJ) pitched the ninth after retiring one batter in the eighth. He gave up two singles, but was able to hold the Bulldogs to one run to pick up the win. Starter Ethan Silverstein (Woodbridge, CT) went five innings, giving up three runs on five hits and no walks, striking out two. Junior Alex Silverman (Wilmington, NC) bridged the gap to Hallberg, allowing just one walk and no runs or hits in 2.2 innings, strikng out one batter.

At the plate, senior catcher Devin Thomas (Gainesville, FL), Tews, and Murphy all had two hits. Thomas drove in the other two Brown runs, one coming when he brought Daniels around on a double in the first, the second on a solo home run in the sixth that made it 3-2. Daniels was 1-for-3, getting on after being hit by a pitch and notching a stolen base as well.

The second and final game of Brown's series with The Citadel will be Wednesday at 6 p.m.